# Man dies after ingesting chloroquine phosphate **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 24, 2020, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159 "2020-03-24T08:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/21 "2020-03-24T16:02:15Z")
> [@pool](#): > > “You can’t fix stupid.” I think he did. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/22 "2020-03-24T16:17:34Z")
> [@Skypist](#): > > I wonder why the fish version doesn’t kill fish? Medicine for fish is typically liquid and you use just a drop or two for an entire tank. And you certainly can kill fish with it, if you overdo it. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/23 "2020-03-24T16:26:50Z")
The president isn’t the only one talking about chloroquine. NO ONE has said it’s appropriate to self dose on fish tank cleaner, or to take the actual medicine without medical supervision. These people were dumb, end of story. I’m sorry their idiocy lead to their deaths, but that’s where it ends. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/24 "2020-03-24T16:42:27Z")
I just heard a news conference with Andrew Cuomo, he stated the FDA released dosages of that drug plus two more for clinical trials in NY State. ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/25 "2020-03-24T17:12:20Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > I just heard a news conference with Andrew Cuomo, he stated the FDA released dosages of that drug plus two more for clinical trials in NY State. Didn’t catch the news conference - did Cuomo think to warn people not to drink aquarium cleaner? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/26 "2020-03-24T17:57:42Z")
I don’t think many of you understand the role of fish antibiotics in the population without access to health insurance and regular health care. I went for fifteen years without health insurance and treated myself with fish ampicillin for tooth problems more than once. I also grew Papaver somniferum to assist with chronic back pain. When you simply Do. Not. Have. several hundred dollars to pay the medical gatekeeper for a legitimate scrip for antibiotics, fish medication is a workaround that probably thousands of people are using every day. This is why we need single payer healthcare that covers EVERYONE so that people with incomplete understanding of the medical profession aren’t tempted to try something dangerous out of desperation and fear. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/27 "2020-03-24T19:29:54Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > This is why we need single payer healthcare that covers EVERYONE so that people with incomplete understanding of the medical profession aren’t tempted to try something dangerous out of desperation and fear. I agree, although practically I would say, “For anyone who wants it” to prevent annoying voters. I can’t help but worry about using aquarium medicines, although you seem to have no choice. Are you sure that have no additives? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/28 "2020-03-24T20:25:14Z")
I have healthcare insurance and access now, thank goodness, and had it before I got the pulmonary embolism that could have killed me off. I stay on warfarin though, in preference to other blood thinners because the cost is low and monthly monitoring affordable in case that should change in future. I didn’t have any assurances about the level of quality control inherent in using fish antibiotics, but figured that with ampicillin it’s probably cheap enough overall that it wouldn’t tempt manufacturers to dilute or adulterate the medication. I’d also taken it for humans often enough to know the effective dosage. I had enough medical knowledge and background to safeguard myself as far as possible while taking the admittedly dodgy step of resorting to fish antibiotics and I lucked out–others, I’m sure, have not been as safe or lucky. And voters be fucking damned–single payer for all and if your stiff neck doesn’t allow you to use it, more power to you but you’ll still pay your fair share toward that inevitable day when you WILL need it. There’s not one person living who has never and never will need access to healthcare and anyone who says differently is either too stupid or too crazy to pay any attention to whatsoever. If someone with with alternatives insists on taking fish medications, well, at least when it goes badly for them they won’t go bankrupt after the ambulance takes them to the emergency room to fix what their folly broke. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/29 "2020-03-24T20:33:53Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > The president isn’t the only one talking about chloroquine. NO ONE has said it’s appropriate to self dose on fish tank cleaner, or to take the actual medicine without medical supervision. These people were dumb, end of story. I’m sorry their idiocy lead to their deaths, but that’s where it ends. I agree, of course. But the woman was interviewed and SHE blames Trump, for what it’s worth. It’s pretty clear where they got the idea, and who they listened to. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/30 "2020-03-24T21:21:18Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I don’t think many of you understand the role of fish antibiotics in the population without access to health insurance and regular health care. I went for fifteen years without health insurance and treated myself with fish ampicillin for tooth problems more than once. I keep fish. I do not shop Petsmart/Petco/Walmart/what-have-you for my fish, and fish supplies. I go to a specialty store. In addition to a wide variety of fish that are way healthier than the ones anywhere else in town, they have any medication of chemical you could ever possibly need. One of the guys who works there told me that truck drivers go to them for antibiotics a lot, any time they have a nasty gash, deep cut, or sinus infection that just won’t go away. See, they don’t have the ability to be established with medical practices all across I-70, the ability to go home any time they are sick or hurt, nor the time to wait hours in clinics for treatment. Plus, clinics usually charge more than practices. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/31 "2020-03-24T21:32:16Z")
> [@pool](#): > > The guy took some random amount of drugs designed for fish and died? > > “You can’t fix stupid.” I mean, it’s a partial success - his intent was to prevent himself catching coronavirus - and it is an undeniable fact that he can’t catch it now. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/32 "2020-03-24T21:46:12Z")
> [@Harrington](#): > > Trump was talking about Hydroxychloroquine, fit for human consumption and if they had taken a tablet or two of that, they would not have died. What the couple took was not fit for human consumption, clearly, regardless of form or formulation. When **Darren Garrison** wrote “Some googling shows that chloroquine phosphate is the antimalarial drug. So they must have taken a massive overdose, or else one of the other ingredients was toxic.,” he’s implying they took the drug available at pharmacies. That is not the case. That _is_ the case; the drug available for aquariums _is_ the drug available at pharmacies. It also happens to be a drug with a small therapeutic index. What the couple took was not produced under the same controls that would certify it for human consumption; however, that is likely irrelevant. “Safe for human consumption” does not mean “safe for everyone at any dose.” Take too much hydroxyquinoline and you’ll die too. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/33 "2020-03-24T22:11:27Z")
It says [here](https://www.drugs.com/dosage/chloroquine.html) the standard initial dose for an adult is 1 gram. That’s a fairly big amount - even if it was pure powder, that would be on the order of 1/4 teaspoon, wouldn’t it? I wonder how much they ingested?? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/34 "2020-03-24T22:22:41Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > That _is_ the case; the drug available for aquariums _is_ the drug available at pharmacies. It also happens to be a drug with a small therapeutic index. What the couple took was not produced under the same controls that would certify it for human consumption; however, that is likely irrelevant. > > “Safe for human consumption” does not mean “safe for everyone at any dose.” Take too much hydroxyquinoline and you’ll die too. Hell, too much water can kill you, and that’s not a joke about drowning. You can die from\* drinking\* too much water. Actually, I think you can even overdose on pure oxygen. It can cause lots of problems: it caused blindness in many, many premature babies, before people figured out it was going on-- and then invented artificial surfectant. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/35 "2020-03-24T22:37:37Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > It says [here](https://www.drugs.com/dosage/chloroquine.html) the standard initial dose for an adult is 1 gram. That’s a fairly big amount - even if it was pure powder, that would be on the order of 1/4 teaspoon, wouldn’t it? I wonder how much they ingested?? OP’s link just mentions a “small amount”. I’m used to weighing a mg or two, so that probably means something different to me than to most folks. Is a scoop of metamucil “small”? I don’t know what the density is. But yeah a quarter teaspoon seems reasonable if it isn’t fluffy. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/36 "2020-03-24T22:59:11Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I mean, it’s a partial success - his intent was to prevent himself catching coronavirus - and it is an undeniable fact that he can’t catch it now. Well, there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/37 "2020-03-24T23:34:33Z")
This reminds me of the guy who bought pure caffeine, basically ate it like it was rock candy, and died. His parents went on a huge campaign against the caffeine industry instead of accepting that their son was an irresponsible idiot. You can blame Trump for this all you want, but at some point the emptor has to caveat. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/38 "2020-03-25T22:40:10Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > It says [here](https://www.drugs.com/dosage/chloroquine.html) the standard initial dose for an adult is 1 gram. That’s a fairly big amount - even if it was pure powder, that would be on the order of 1/4 teaspoon, wouldn’t it? That’s a loading dose, for an adult. After that it’s only a fraction of that, once a week. For us, It was one pill, once a week. You want large, take a look at worming tables! But quinine is a strong flavor. We were emotionally scared for decades afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/39 "2020-03-25T23:27:17Z")
The husband died and the woman is in critical condition. Apparently several deaths have been reported in Nigeria from chloroquine overdose. I just realized that quinine and chloroquine [are chemically very similar](https://www.medicinejournal.co.uk/article/S1357-3039(15)00320-5/fulltext). Quinine is found in the tonic water that many of us enjoy with a nice gin and tonic on a warm summer day, but presumably in very small quantities and safe for human consumption. It’s what gives tonic water its slightly bitter taste. Just a random factoid – unrelated to the incredible stupidity of consuming fish-tank additive as medication. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159/40 "2020-03-26T00:59:03Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I just realized that quinine and chloroquine [are chemically very similar](https://www.medicinejournal.co.uk/article/S1357-3039(15)00320-5/fulltext). Quinine is found in the tonic water that many of us enjoy with a nice gin and tonic on a warm summer day, but presumably in very small quantities and safe for human consumption. It’s what gives tonic water its slightly bitter taste. Just a random factoid – unrelated to the incredible stupidity of consuming fish-tank additive as medication. :mad: I never thought about it until now, but that totally makes sense. To add another random factoid, the origin of tonic water was as an anti-malarial drug. It was given to British sailors, and as I understand it the quinine content was much higher in those days, since that was the active ingredient. That gave it a much stronger bitter flavor. So they added gin and lime juice (also part of a British sailor’s rations) to make it more palatable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-after-ingesting-chloroquine-phosphate/850159.md?page=3)